Systems And Methods For Producing Rain Clouds

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods are described for generating low altitude clouds saturated with moisture above bodies of water including oceans, lakes, reservoirs, and rivers to generate rain down wind of the location of rain cloud generation.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure relates to systems and methods for producing rainclouds.

BACKGROUND

Weather systems are known. Issues related to the effects of insufficientrain are known.

SUMMARY

One aspect of the present disclosure relates to a system configured forproducing a man-made cloud and deliver the man-made cloud into thetroposphere at an altitude targeted for downwind delivery ofprecipitation from the man-made cloud. Another aspect of the presentdisclosure relates to a method for producing a man-made cloud anddeliver the man-made cloud into the troposphere at an altitude targetedfor downwind delivery of precipitation from the man-made cloud. Thesystem and method may be being operable in conjunction with an airbornevessel. The method may include delivering water from a water source to afanning subsystem, wherein the water source is disposed at or nearground level. The method may include taking in, by an intake of thefanning subsystem, oxygen, hydrogen, air, the delivered water, and/orthe aerosol produced from the delivered water, wherein the deliveredwater is or has been combined with the air to produce aerosol. Themethod may include outputting, by an output of the fanning subsystem,the aerosol produced from either the oxygen and the hydrogen or from thedelivered water, and/or the air, wherein the air is or has been combinedwith the delivered water to produce the aerosol. The method may includetransporting the aerosol from the fanning subsystem into an air tube,the air tube having a first end and a second end, wherein the first endis arranged at or near the fanning subsystem, wherein the second end isdisposed (upright and/or upwards) into the troposphere by coupling thesecond end to the airborne vessel while the airborne vessel is flying inthe troposphere. The method may include transporting, by the air tube,the aerosol from the first end through the air tube to the second end.The method may include exhausting a portion of the aerosol from the airtube into atmosphere, by multiple exhaust vents disposed between thefirst end and the second end of the air tube. The method may includeproducing the man-made cloud, by the aerosol exiting the air tube at thesecond end of the air tube, at the altitude targeted for the downwinddelivery of the precipitation from the man-made cloud.

As used herein, any association (or relation, or reflection, orindication, or correspondency) involving clouds, subsystems, watersources, intakes, outputs, air tubes, airborne vessels, watercrafts,exhaust vents, fins, fans, nozzles, turbines, and/or another entity orobject that interacts with any part of the system and/or plays a part inthe operation of the system, may be a one-to-one association, aone-to-many association, a many-to-one association, and/or amany-to-many association or “N”-to-“M” association (note that “N” and“M” may be different numbers greater than 1).

As used herein, the term “obtain” (and derivatives thereof) may includeactive and/or passive retrieval, determination, derivation, transfer,upload, download, submission, and/or exchange of information, and/or anycombination thereof. As used herein, the term “effectuate” (andderivatives thereof) may include active and/or passive causation of anyeffect, both local and remote. As used herein, the term “determine” (andderivatives thereof) may include measure, calculate, compute, estimate,approximate, generate, and/or otherwise derive, and/or any combinationthereof.

As used herein, the term “coupled” does not require direct attachment,but allows for one or more intermediary components between the coupledelements. As used herein, the term “connected” suggests a directattachment. As used herein, the term “aerosol” is defined as liquidparticles dispersed in gas, i.e., in air.

These and other features, and characteristics of the present technology,as well as the methods of operation and functions of the relatedelements of structure and the combination of parts and economies ofmanufacture, will become more apparent upon consideration of thefollowing description and the appended claims with reference to theaccompanying drawings, all of which form a part of this specification,wherein like reference numerals designate corresponding parts in thevarious figures. It is to be expressly understood, however, that thedrawings are for the purpose of illustration and description only andare not intended as a definition of the limits of the invention. As usedin the specification and in the claims, the singular form of “a”, “an”,and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictatesotherwise.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A illustrates a front view and FIG. 1B illustrates a side view ofthe Shipboard Concept 100 with three rain cloud generating systemsmounted on the deck of a typical Great Lakes ore carrier 112 with theengines 102 103 104 and the air tubes 105 and 107 deployed with theassistance of blimps 108 and 110 respectively.

FIG. 2—Example of The Small Boat or Barge Concept.

FIG. 3—Example of The Fleet Concept and Guy Wire Supports for the AirTube.

FIGS. 4a and 4b —Thrusters to Support the Tube.

FIGS. 5a and 5b —Gas Heating Unit in the Tube.

FIGS. 6a and 6b —Tube with Netting and Pressure Vents. FIGS. 6c and 6dillustrate a front and side view of a top vent with a downward exhaustvent.

FIGS. 7a and 7d, 7b and 7e, 7c and 7f illustrate front and top views oftubes with Retractable Netting for pressure control.

FIGS. 8a and 8b —Tube with Constricting Pressure Control.

FIGS. 9a, 9b, and 9c —Lift Bags and FIGS. 9d, 9e, and 9f —Lift Kites.

FIGS. 10a, 10b , 10 c, 10 d, 10 e, 10 f, 10 g, 10 h, 10 i, 10 j, 10 k,10 l, 10 m, 10 n, 10 p, 10 q—describe Tube Manufacturing.

FIG. 11—The San Joaquin Valley Target Area.

FIGS. 12a and 12b —Example of Inland Mountain Concept

FIG. 13—Large Fan Jet Engine.

FIG. 14—Shipboard Fan Jet Cloud Generation System.

FIG. 15—The de Laval Nozzle.

FIGS. 16a, 16b, and 16c —the de Laval Nozzle Fan Jet Engine.

FIG. 17—A Basis Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Electrolysis System.

FIG. 18—A 6 Stage High Temperature High Pressure PEM ElectrolysisSystem.

FIGS. 19a and 19b —A Hydrogen and/or Oxygen Storage and TransportationBoat or Barge.

FIGS. 20a and 20b illustrate a front and side view of anoperational—Electric Power, Water Electrolysis, and Hydrogen StorageBarge. FIGS. 20c 20d and 20e illustrate a top view, front view, and sideview of the same barge with the wind turbines stowed.

FIGS. 21a, 21b, and 21c illustrate an electrolysis barge with side sailsto Enhance Wind Turbine Performance. FIGS. 21d and 21e illustrate asimilar barge with side sails and a top sail where the sail is heldaloft with a lighter than air pocket. FIGS. 21f and 21g is similar witha mast supporting the raised sail. FIGS. 21h and 21i illustratedifferent views of a single, large wind turbine designed to work withthe electrolysis barge and the associated sails.

FIGS. 22a, 22b, 22c and 22d —Water Turbine Electric Power Generator.

FIGS. 23a and 23b —Submersible Solar Farm.

FIG. 24—Exemplary System Block Diagram.

FIG. 25—Typical Daily Operation Block Diagram.

FIG. 26—Map of the Typical Daily Operations.

FIGS. 27a and 27b —Lightening Rod Deployment and Light Wight HighAltitude Ground System.

FIG. 28—Cloud Charge Balancing System.

FIGS. 29a and FIGS. 29b and 29c illustrate concepts for furling thetube.

FIGS. 30A and 30B illustrate a block diagram of a system configured toproduce a man-made cloud, in accordance with one or moreimplementations.

FIG. 31 illustrates a block diagram of a system configured to produce aman-made cloud, in accordance with one or more implementations.

FIG. 32 illustrates a method to produce a man-made cloud, in accordancewith one or more implementations.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The systems and methods described herein may be considered asgeoengineering and/or cloud generation, and may be used for weathermodification with a primary function of providing water in the form ofrain on areas of land that need it reducing the effects of drought andthe associated problems of crop failure and wildfires and the removal ofair particulate contamination. In some implementations, the system mayneed a water source that can be saltwater or freshwater. In someimplementations, the clouds may be generated where none exist or thosethat do exist are inadequate to generate an adequate amount of rain. Thesystem may be generating clouds predominantly during pre-dawn anddaylight hours that will travel to an area where rain may be neededbefore night fall. A combination of one or more of the drop intemperature associated with night fall, the orographic precipitationthat occurs when clouds rise to go over mountains, and cloud seeding maybe used to initiate rainfall from the man-made clouds.

These man-made clouds may have a cooling effect on global warming eventhough water vapor is a greenhouse gas. Clouds reflect energy from thesun during the day but tend to block some of the Earth's long waveradiation at night. It is generally accepted that the frigid highaltitude contrails from jet aircraft block more energy radiating fromthe earth than they reflect during daylight hours which has a net effectof adding to global warming. The man-made clouds generated here may below altitude clouds residing primarily in the troposphere and about thesame temperature as the ground or sea below the clouds, with long waveradiation levels that are about the same as the ground or sea belowthem. During the day, the man-made clouds may be reflecting sunlight ata much higher rate than the water or land under them.

FIGS. 1a and 1b represent a typical equipment configuration 100 for thegeneration of rain downwind from a water source. Item 112 is a GreatLakes ore freighter, typically 600 to 1000 foot long that has beenmodified to carry three systems. The drives for the systems are in thefan boxes item 102, 103, and 104. Fan boxes 102, 103, and 104 will drivea water saturated aerosol into the flexible tubes 105, 106, and 107. Thetubes 105, 106, and 107 will be inflated by the force of the fans andwill be supported by the blimps 108, 109, and 110, respectively. Due tothe height of the tubes 105, 106 and 107, the blimp 108, 109, and 110will be fitted with appropriate air navigation warning lights and radarreflectors as will the tubes 105, 106, and 107. If engine 103 is notoperating, tube 106 may be stowed around the outside of engine housing114 and the furling system 115 may be disengaged.

The two deployed systems are set up to operate off to the sides of theship with the system consisting of fan box 102, tube 105, and blimp 108deployed to starboard and the system consisting of fan box 104, tube107, and blimp 110 deployed to the port side of the ship.

FIG. 2 is a smaller boat or barge 201 carrying a similar system (asdescribed in this disclosure). The boat may be a 100 foot catamaran withthe fan box 103 mounted on a deck between the two hulls of thecatamaran. The tube 106 is shown in the stowed position, the blimp 109is tethered to the deck, and the furling rollers 111 with drive wheels202 are disengaged.

Referring to FIG. 3, a fleet 300 of four boats may work together togenerate rain clouds with the aerosol that is exiting the top of theirtubes. Item 303 is a wind vane that is pointing into the wind. The windsaloft are often above 35 knots and keeping the tubes in a substantiallyvertical alignment most of the time (as measured and/or determinedbetween the opposite ends of each tube, and considering only theorientation with respect to fore and aft of the respective boats, andignoring side-to-side and/or lateral movement with respect to therespective boats, and barring periods of extreme weather) may requiresignificant support due to the force of the wind on the air tube. It isunderstood that extreme weather and/or movement of the respective boatsmay temporarily disrupt the preferred alignment (of substantiallyvertical). In FIG. 3 item 304 is a tugboat providing support to the airtubes on the other three boats or barges 200 primarily to keep the tubes105 substantially vertical. The three boats 200 may operate under theirown power or could be barges in tow from the tugboat 304.

The three boats or barges, item 200 have a bowsprit item 301. There maybe guys or stays 302 running from the waterline at the front of the hullto the tip of the bowsprit. Guys or stays 302 may have been added fromthe tip of the bowsprit up to the tubes 105 for support. Further supportfor the tubes is provided by the guys 302 running from the tugboat 304up to the upper sections of the tubes 105, the tube tops, and the blimps108.

Air Tube Design & Construction

Referring to FIGS. 4a and 4b , in some implementations, tubes 105 may besupported against incoming wind as indicated by wind vane 303 bythrusters 401 & 402. While much of the air going through the tubes willbypass the thrusters, some of the air may be exhausted through thethrusters pushing the tube 105 into the wind. Exhaust 403 may formand/or include thruster 401, and may be actively controlled when itexits the thruster pushing the thruster clockwise or counterclockwisearound the tube to keep the force from the thruster pushing the tube 401into the wind. Thruster 402 is pointed downwind as shown here to providea force on the tube in the windward direction adding lift to the airtube. Thruster 402 may be held in a position by fin 404 to keep theforce on the tube 105 pushing the tube 105 from thruster 402 into thewind. Fin 404 will keep the force from the associated thruster 403pushing the tube 105 into the apparent wind or wind as seen by thatportion of tube 105 which will change due to the movement of tube 105and due to wind variations at different altitudes.

FIGS. 5a and 5b illustrate a gas heating unit 500 used to heat theaerosol represented by arrow 403 in the tube 105 causing the air toexpand and rise in the tube. The heating unit 500 may be supplied withgas via gas pipe 501. The gas may be distributed via the circularmanifold 502 to the individual tubes 503 with the flame 504 occurringinside air tube 105. Heating the air in the tube may decrease thedensity of the aerosol inside tube 105 and may increase its tendency ofthe aerosol to rise inside the tube.

FIGS. 6a and 6b illustrate a cross section view of tube 105 andextension 602 that describes netting or screening 601 inserted into thetube 105 or an extension to the tube 602. When the water saturated air403 is pushed through the netting, the water droplets may be broken downinto smaller droplets that would be less likely to form precipitationdroplets on leaving the tube at altitude.

The net 602 may represent impedance to the flow of air 403 through thetube 105 or the expanded extension 602. As a result, the pressure in thetube below the nets may be higher than the pressure above the net. If athruster 402 is located below a net 601 the air flow 403 through thethruster 402 may be higher, resulting in more force being produced bythe thruster 402.

Increasing the pressure in the tube 105 or extension 602 may result ofan increased stiffness to the walls of the tube 105 or extension 602.The stiffness and the pressure in the tube may tend to support the tubeas it is raised (or deployed) and may decrease the need for support fromthe blimp 108.

If the flexible air tube 105 folds over or partially collapses thepressure inside the tube may increase significantly. In someimplementations, pressure relief vents may be used to prevent permanentdamage to the air tube 105. The thruster 402 may be one form or approachof a pressure relief vent that will also push the tube into the wind.

FIG. 6c illustrates a front and 6d a side view of an air 405distribution cap 603 at the top of tube 105. The air 403 enters the cap603 at the top of tube 105 and exits at the top of the tube through net403 or out of the open bottom of the cap 603. The structural support 604with a connection point 605 may accommodate a guy 302 that may haul thetop of the tube into the apparent wind. The use of a guy on the windwardside of the tube may result in the downward exhaust being directeddownwind from the air tube 105. The downward airflow 403 may add lift tothe air tube 105 and push the tube to windward reducing the externalforce needed to support the tube vertically and to windward.

FIG. 7 a,c,b,d,e,f illustrate cross section view of retractable nettingsystems. The netting when deployed may function as expressed in thedescription of FIGS. 6a 6b 6c and 6d . As tube deployment position andatmospheric conditions change, it may become desirable to increase ordecrease the number of nets in a tube 105 or extension 603. Two ways toretracting the net on FIG. 7a are illustrated in FIGS. 7b and 7 c.

The force of the air 403 through the tube 105 may continually push thenets in an upward direction in FIG. 7a, 7b or 7 c. The netting in FIG.7b may be released by loosening the cords 703. The net in FIG. 7c isreleased by loosening a draw cord that encircled net 701 at the top ofthe net. The air 403 passing through the tube 105 forces the nets 701against the wall of tube 105.

FIGS. 8a and 8b illustrate changing the impedance of air tube 403 byinflating a bladder 802 surrounding the air tube 105 and changing theshape of the air tube 105 from that shown in FIG. 8a to that shown inFIG. 8b when inflated. In some implementations, bladder 802 may beattached to the air tube 105 by a housing 801 and guys 803. Inflatingthe bladder may decrease the internal diameter of the tube 105, increasethe velocity of the aerosol 403 flowing through the tube 105 and mayincrease the pressure in the tube below the bladder 802. In someimplementations, the diameter of the tube can also be restricted bybelts or synchs.

FIGS. 9a, 9b and 9c illustrate side, front and top view of lift bagwhile FIGS. 9d, 9e and 9f illustrate mechanisms to provide lift to tube105. FIG. 9a 9b 9c illustrate a tube 105 lifting harness 900 a. In someimplementations, the harness may have a lift bag 901 that when inflatedwill support the air tube 105. The gas used to inflate the lift bag 901may be lighter than air and provide lift for the tube 105 as well assupport. The lift bag 901 may be attached to the air tube 105 with cords904 and struts 905.

Also shown in FIG. 9a 9b 9c is a structural support 604 with aconnection point 605 to accommodate the guys 302 where the structuralsupport 902 may distribute force from the guy 302 through multipleconnections to the tube 105. In some implementations, batons 906 and 907may be added to tube 105 and lift bag 901 to add shape stability to thetube and lift bag when deployed in a wind strong enough to substantiallychange the shape of the devices.

FIGS. 9d 9e and 9f illustrate a kite that provides lift to tube 105. Insome implementations, the kite may have a main canape 908, two spars 909910, and guy lines 911 912 attached to the rear spar 910, and a band 915that has been added to tube 105. The canape 908 may be also attached tothe tube 105 at 914. The forward spar 909 may be connected to one of themain guy lines 302 used to pull the tube into the apparent wind.

Tube Manufacturing

FIGS. 10a and 10b illustrate two views of a tube winding system 1000.FIGS. 10p and 10q illustrate a side and top view of the conveyorassembly. Structural support parts of the conveyor assembly side, backand bottom view are shown in FIGS. 10c, 10d and 10e and FIGS. 10 f, 10 gand 10 h are incorporated into subassemblies FIG. 10i, 10j, and k andFIGS. 10l 10n and 10m respectively. The subassemblies 10 k and 10 n arethen incorporated into assembly of FIG. 10q 10p of tube winding system1000 with an arbor core 1001 and arbor conveyer 1012 around whichmaterial is wound with the wound material being moved down as indicatedby arrow 1011 by the arbor conveyer 1012 as the material is wound asshown in FIG. 10a . There may be two arms 1002 and 1008 that rotatearound the arbor 1001 in opposite directions with arm 1008 going aroundclockwise in FIG. 10b View A-A and arm 1002 going around the arborcounterclockwise. Each arm 1002 and 1008 may have two spindles 1003. Onespindle on each arm 1002 and 1008 may carry a spool with a sheet ofsolid material like polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and the other spindlehas several spools of reinforcing cord such as carbon fiber. In someimplementations, when the tube is being wound, arm 1002 first lays downa layer of film 1005 followed by a layer of reinforcing fiber 1004.Shortly after that arm 1008 lays down another layer of reinforcingfibers 1009 followed by a layer of film 1010. The four layers are heldtogether by an adhesive or bonding layer applied to the film layers orby melting the film layers together.

The arbor conveyer assembly 1012 as depicted is made up of two differentsized conveyer belt assemblies FIG. 10i 10j 10k and FIGS. 10l 10m and10n . In order to form a tighter assembly of conveyer belts the largerbelts 1019 may be arranged with smaller conveyer belt assemblies 1020with part of the smaller assembly 1020 mounted inside the longerconveyer belt assembly 1019. The conveyer belts may be flexible and needto be supported when the films and cords 1004 1005 1009 1010 are beingwound and bonded together on the arbor. The conveyer belts 1016 may besupported by back plates 1013 which is reinforced with supports 1014. Asdepicted, the back plate 1013 is mounted with brackets 1015 and eitherthe long 1021 conveyer mounting bracket or the short conveyer bracket1022 to the core of the arbor 1001.

In some implementations, the conveyer belt 1016 is powered though thedrive wheel 1017. The wheel at the opposite end of the conveyer is thetension wheel and maintains the tension in the belt as it rotates. Thedrive wheels 1017 and the tension wheels 1018 are mounted to the arborcore 1001 though the bracket 1021 for the long conveyer assemblies 1019or bracket 1020 for the shorter conveyer belt assemblies 1022. Thedirection of rotation for the conveyer belt 1016 is indicated by thearrow 1023.

In some implementations, stiffening circular hoops that will help thetube 105 maintain an open tubular shape when deployed in the wind orfurled on the deck may be added at the top of the conveyors 1012 as thetube 105 is being wound.

FIG. 11 illustrate an east-to-west cross section of California where thesystem is likely to be deployed. FIG. 11 includes parts of the PacificOcean 1101, the Southern California Coastal Mountain Range 1102, and theSan Joaquin Valley section of California's Central Valley 1103 with itsfertile farmland and an ongoing shortage of water, the Sierra NevadaMountain Range 1104, and the Mojave Desert 1105. The San Joaquin Valley1103 has produced about 25% of the Nation's table food with 1% of theNation's farmland. Wind vane 303 points into the prevailing westerlywinds for the region. The boat 200 with its equipment and tube 105supported by blimp 109 may be located in the Pacific Ocean 1101. Therain clouds will be generated over the Pacific Ocean with the prevailingwesterly winds 303 pushing them inland.

Salt from the Pacific Ocean 1101 may be part of the aerosol exiting theair tube 105. Droplets may form around the salt and start to drop towardearth with some of moisture evaporating on the way down. One of theparameters controlling the amount of salt that will be in the man-madeclouds when they are over land may be the distance between the boat 200and the land 1102, 1103, 1108, 1104, or 1105.

The man-made clouds generated by the boat 200 may need to make it overthe coastal mountains 1102 to reach the San Joaquin Valley 1103 targetarea. The coastal mountains 1102 tend to receive a significant amount ofrain. When low level clouds or fog start to rise over the CoastalMountains they cool, and the air becomes less dense. These two effectsmay combine to cause orographic precipitation. The man-made cloudsgenerated by the boat 200 may be (designed to be) higher than the normallow lying clouds and fog and less effected by the orographicprecipitation effect at the coastal mountains 1102, and may normally bein winds of a higher velocity allowing faster travel inland.

For raindrops to form in the aerosol leaving tube 105, a nucleus of somesort may need to be provided. In the case of a saltwater source, thesalt may serve that purpose. In freshwater rivers, the silt in the wateror the dust in the air or mud in the water may provide the needednucleus. On a clear day in places like the Great Lakes, material likesalt or dirt or silver iodide can be introduced into the system via thepumps 1405 1606 or in the case of the silver iodide, burned in theaerosol before or after leaving the tube 105. Colonially suspendedparticles that normally build the river deltas when they meet thesaltwater and fall out may be the primary source of nuclei for formingraindrops from the aerosol generated from the waters of the muddyMississippi and other river systems.

The man-made clouds that make it over the coastal mountains may not belikely to drop much rain directly into the San Joaquin Valley unlesscloud seeding is done to encourage precipitation. It is more likely thatthe clouds will travel the 200 miles downwind from the ocean to theSierra Nevada Mountain Range 1104 which stretches another roughly 150miles to the east. At the foothills of the mountains 1108 the rising airwill experience adiabatic cooling and loss of density resulting inorographic precipitation 1107 raining down on the windward side of themountain and flowing back into the San Joaquin River Valley. The loss ofmoisture from the clouds may leave very little moisture to rain down onthe leeward side of the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range or the MojaveDesert east of the range.

Similar results may be expected if one or more of the systems describedherein are used on inland water systems like the Mississippi riversystem or the Great Lakes. If there are mountains in the pertinent area,orographic precipitation would generate the needed rain, or cloudseeding could be used on the open plains.

FIG. 12a illustrates a close up of FIG. 12b describing an example of thesystem being used further inland to move water over mountains where thealtitudes required exceed the capability of the ship, boat, or bargesystem or if the area is inaccessible to the larger equipment. Theequipment in this example is located at the bottom of the Sierra Nevadafoothills 1108 where they meet the San Joaquin river valley. The watersource 1201 in this scenario is a tributary of the San Joaquin River.The water is piped thought filter 1202 and pumped through the propulsionunit 1203 resulting in a freshwater aerosol represented by arrow 1204forming in the exhaust. A rigid air tube 1205 may be supported onstanchions 1206 to the top of the foothills 1108. At the top of thefoothills 1108 the rigid tube 1205 may be connected to the flexible airtube 105 and aerosol 1204 may be moved into the air tube 105 which issupported by blimp 108. The aerosol 1204 will exit the air tube 105 andbe released into the atmosphere at a height sufficient to allow thecloud to pass over the high ridge of the Sierra Nevada mountain range.

The concept of a system as shown in FIGS. 12a and 12b can be used onother stationary facilities such as oil drilling platforms commonlyfound offshore in California and in the Gulf of Mexico. Often thedrilling platforms have a need to burn off gas that is commonly foundwhen drilling for oil. This gas could be accumulated on site and use toprovide power, e.g., to power the engines that drive the water vaperskyward. In the Gulf of Mexico, the clouds generated in this manner mayincrease the areas albedo, cool the surface water, and reduce theseverity of severe weather events.

The Power System Engines

The engines used during the development stages of the various conceptsdescribed in this patent may be small piston engines. For the deployedrain system to be effective, the engines that power the effort may needto be large and be capable of moving tons of air in order to move enoughmoisture into the man-made clouds that they saturate to be capable ofdelivering rain downwind from the cloud initiation site. One type ofengine has the needed performance parameters may be the large fan jetengines that power large, long rang, commercial and military airtransport jet airplanes.

FIG. 13 illustrates a typical fan jet engine 1300 used in aviationapplications for large aircraft with the cowlings 1316, 1317 andcowlings or nacelle 1318 cross sectioned. The dimensions of the enginemay be about nine feet in diameter at the input end of the engine 1301and about fifteen feet long. The thrust from the engine comes from theexhaust which exits at the back of the engine 1302. The heart of theengine is the combustion chambers 1303 that burn the full supplied viathe fuel line 1304 and generates an exhaust flame 1305. The pressurefrom the exhaust flame 1305 turns the turban rotors 1307 and 1309 whichare connected to the drive shafts 1310 and 1311 respectively. Thestators 1306 and 1308 direct the air into the buckets of the turbanrotors 1307 and 1309 respectively.

In some implementations, the 6 stage compressor section 1312 isconnected to shaft 1310 and compresses the incoming air before it getsto the combustion chambers 1303. The stator 1313 directs rotating airfrom the compressor into the combustion chamber 1303. The basic gasturbine is housed in cowling 1316. The fan 1314 which is connected toshaft 1311 provides air that bypasses and cools the engine.

In some implementations, fan 1315 may be attached to shaft 1311 andprovide more air that bypasses both the gas turbine consisting ofcowling 1316 and internal parts and the jet engine section whichincludes cowling 1317 and the parts internal to that cowling. The neteffect may be to provide a much larger volume of air through the enginethat is moving at lower speeds, with a lower temperature exhaust, andless noise. A large fan jet is typically capable of maintaining apressure ratio of 30 to 1 in the compression stage 1312, having an airbypass ration of 5 to 1, and the capability of pushing 1.5 tons of airper second.

Referring to FIG. 14, a large fan jet engine of FIG. 13 may be installedin an ocean going freighter 1400. In some implementations, most of theequipment is mounted in the ship's hold 1401 as opposed to the ship'ssuperstructure 1402. The fans, 1314 and 1315 as well as the gas turbinemay drive the aerosol vertically upward through the cowlings 1316, 1317,and 1318 and into tube 105. Outer cowling casings 1404 and 1403 havebeen added cowlings 1317 and 1318 respectively to form water jackets. Insome implementations, water between the cowlings 1317 and 1404 as wellas between cowlings 1318 and 1403 will be heated prior to being sprayedinto tube 105 forming a very wet aerosol 1408. The water may be pumpedinto the system by pump 1405 which may be driven off the same shaft asthe fans 1314 and 1315. The water may be supplied to the pump through anintake 1406 and filter 1407. FIG. 14 further illustrates a basket 1409that may hold the material from the flexible tube 105 when it is notdeployed skyward. In some implementations, a salty brine may be likelyto collect in the basket 1409 and may be drained overboard.

The de Laval Nozzle 1500 shown in the cross section FIG. 15 is commonlyused for propulsion in today's large rocket engine has been used insteam turbines as far back as the year 1890. Fuel may be supplied via aninput pipe 1505 with an oxidizer via pipe 1506 to the combustion chamber1501 where igniter 1507 initiates combustion of the fuel and oxidizer.The heated gas is forced through the convergent stage 1503, through thethroat 1502 and out through the divergent section 1504. The gas velocityin the throat 1502 of the nozzle 1500 is maintained at a hypersonicspeed and as such, pressure waves may not travel from the output end ofthe nozzle back through the throat and affect the ignition in thecombustion chamber.

In pertinent regards, the de Laval nozzle combustion chamber 1501 may besimilar to the combustion chamber of a fan jet 1303. The de Laval nozzle1500 does not require a compression section 1312, stators 1313 & 1303,or the turbine 1307 needed to operate the compression section 1312. Insome implementations, the simplicity of an engine built similar to a fanjet but utilizing the de Laval Nozzle may be more cost effective thanalternatives described in this disclosure.

Large rockets may use liquid hydrogen (H₂) and an oxidizer in thecombustion chamber for the short burn time associated with the launch ofthe rocket. Aircraft fan jet engines are not designed to run on hydrogenwhen used in aviation applications since the fuel storage requirementwould be 5 times the volume needed for today's aviation fuel making thehydrogen gas option impractical. In the application described in thispatent, fuel and oxidizer or oxygen storage volume is not a significantdrawback. Hydrogen (H₂) fuel and oxygen (O₂) can be supplied incompressed gas tanks. The exhaust from the de Laval nozzle may includesuper-heated high pressure steam.

The de Laval Nozzle Fan Engine 1600 powered by de Laval Nozzles 15001614 is shown in three views. FIG. 16a illustrates the engine installedin a ship with only the upper deck 1615 and the lower deck 1616 crosssectioned. The major components identified in this view include therigid fan housing 1601, the rigid turbine housing 1602, and the watertank housing 1604. The height of the rigid turbine housing 1601 can beseveral hundred feet where it is connected to the flexible tube 105 whengreater heights are desired. The water tank 1604 is positioned torecover heat energy from the combustion process. The tank 1604 may befilled with water though the input 1607 to the tank water level 1613.The output from the tank is plumbed into a water pump 1606 which feeds adistribution system 1605 to spray nozzles mounted on manifold 1603.

FIG. 16b shows the de Laval Nozzle Fan Engine 1600 with ships decks 1615and 1616 cross sectioned as well as the fan housing 1601, the turbinehousing 1602, the water tank housing 1604 and the water spray systemmanifold 1603. In this example, there are four de Laval nozzles 1614mounted to the turbine housing 1602 inside the water tank 1604 and belowthe tanks water line 1613. There may be a second water spray manifold1610 inside the turbine housing 1602 and above the turbine 1611. Thedrive shaft 1609 connects the rotor 1621 on the turbine 1611 to the airfan 1608. In some implementations, a de Laval Nozzle Fan Engine mayinclude 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, or more de Laval nozzles.

FIG. 16c may include all the previously mentioned parts of the de LavalNozzle Fan Engine 1600 cross sectioned as well as depicts two of thefour de Laval Nozzles 1614. The insides of all four de Laval Nozzles areexposed with the insides of the de Laval Nozzles located in back visiblethrough the mounting portholes 1612 and 1619 in the back of the turbinehousing 1603.

The engine in FIG. 16c is shown in its operational mode. There isignition 1618 in the combustion chambers and exhaust 1617 leaving thenozzle 1614. As depicted, the exhaust is driven up the turbine chamber1603 through the turbine 1611 stator 1620 which drives the gas into theturbine buckets on the turbine rotor 1621. The exhaust gasses next passthrough the manifold 1610 where water 1622 is sprayed into the gascolumn lowering the temperature of the exhaust gasses before enteringthe fan housing 1601. The fan housing 1601 is rigid and can extendseveral hundred feet operating independently or extended with theflexible air shaft 105.

When the exhaust gasses 1622 enter the fan housing 1601, they may bemixed with a combination of air and/or water being sucked into thehousing by the fan 1608. The water may be sprayed from the nozzles inmanifold 1610 which mix with the air entering the fan housing at the airintake 1624. The amount of water and air added to the exhaust from theturbine needs to be adequate to reduce the temperature of thesuper-heated steam exhaust leaving the top of the fan housing to anacceptable level for the flexible air shaft 105 (e.g., a level that isselected to not damage flexible air shaft 105, and/or not reduce thelifespan of flexible air shaft 105 in a manner deemed impractical).

In some implementations, the added aerosol 1408, 1622 and 1623 is wateror saltwater. In some implementations, additives such as fire retardant,pesticides, or antifungal may be included when needed to fight fires,insect problems, or undesirable fungi.

Fuel to Power the Engines

In some implementations, small scale systems used during the developmentstages of the concept described in this patent may be likely to use anumber of engine types to drive the fan and/or heat the aerosolresulting in the energy needed coming from the electric power grid,gasoline, diesel, aviation gas, kerosene, etc. For the deployed system,it may be advantageous to burn hydrogen since the exhaust from theengines would be high temperature steam rather than some combination ofhydrocarbons and other chemicals.

In a 1955 US Air Force experiment, a B-57 bomber out of Wright Fieldflew with one of the jets engines fueled with liquid hydrogen and theother on conventional jet fuel. Many of the rockets used to launchobjects into space were powered by liquid hydrogen burned in a de LavalNozzles. The exhaust exiting the jet and rocket engines burning hydrogenis high temperature steam and that would be advantageous in theapplication described in this patent. Liquid hydrogen rather thanhydrogen in the gaseous form is used in rocket applications because thevolume needed to store the gaseous hydrogen would be larger than thevehicle itself. Large volumes are manageable in the cloud generatingapplication described herein. A common way of generating hydrogen thatcould be used to power an internal combustion engine, the fan jet engine1300, or the de Laval Nozzle fan engine 1600, is by splitting water withelectrolysis. The basic equations for electrolysis and the combustion ofhydrogen gas are:

Electrolysis: 2H₂O→2H₂+O₂

Hydrogen Combustion: 2H₂+O₂→2H₂O

There may be byproducts associated with electrolysis from salt water,but a properly designed system can manage the problems of byproducts ofsaltwater electrolysis which may include chloride CL₂, sodium hydroxideNaOH, potassium hydroxide KOH, and/or other byproducts.

FIG. 17 illustrates a basic polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM)electrolysis system. A PEM 1711 located between the anode 1705 andcathode 1708 is not required but is normally used since it makes thistype of system smaller and more efficient.

The input to the electrolysis system may be a wind powered electricgenerator 1701. In some implementations, the AC output from thegenerator may be fed into a power conditioning unit 1702 where thevoltage is stepped down via transformer 1703, rectified with a full wavebridge 1704 and filtered using the capacitor 1705 resulting in a low DCvoltage at the output of the power conditioning unit 1702 and going tothe electrolyzer tank 1706 with the positive connection going to theelectrolysis anode 1707 and the negative connection going to the cathode1708. In the electrolyzer tank 1706 water acts as liquid electrolyte1709 allowing hydrogen protons that form at the anode 1707 to move tothe cathode 1708 to form H₂ molecules while the oxygen ions move in theopposite direction forming O₂ molecules near the anode. The hydrogen gasin the form of H₂ accumulates above the water in the tank near thecathode 1708 in the area 1712 and the oxygen accumulates on the anode1707 side in area 1710. The hydrogen and oxygen is moved to gas bottles1713 and 1714 respectively for storage and transportation.

FIG. 18 illustrates a type of electrolysis equipment 1800 that may belikely to be utilized with the equipment described herein. In someimplementations, at the high pressure and temperature end of the systemtank 1808, the gasses and liquid may be operating in the 600° C. rangeand at pressures in 5 kPSI range. The equipment is shown with thepressure vessels and surrounding thermal insulation in cross section.

In some implementations, saltwater or freshwater may enter at thesystem's input 1801 and be pressurized by pump 1802. From there it mayenter pressure vessel 1803 where the heating element 1810 will increasethe temperature of the water. The metal bellows 1809 may maintain thepressure in the vessel as the water expands or contracts or is pumpedinto or out of the vessel. The water in each tank may be monitored bytemperature gage 1812 and the pressure gage 1813. From pressure vessel1803 it is pumped into pressure vessel 1807 where the pressure andtemperature are again increased. From there another pump 1802 is used topump the water at higher pressures in pressure vessel 1805 where furtherheating of the water will take place.

In some implementations, between pressure vessels 1805 and 1806 theremay be a pressure reducer 1811 that will reduce that along with theheating element in pressure vessel 1806 will cause the water tovaporize. The liquid level in the tank may be maintained at thewaterline 1819. The water vapers will move to pressure vessel 1807 whereit may condense and maintain a liquid level at the waterline 1819.

In some implementations, from pressure vessel 1807 the hot, pressurized,distilled water will move into the PEM electrolyzer in pressure vessel1808. The electrolyzer has two anodes 1818 and two cathodes 1816separated by PEM 1817. The heated and pressurized oxygen gas form theanodes is collected exits the pressure vessel 1808 via pipe 1815 whilethe hydrogen is collected from the cathodes and exits via pipe 1814.

In some implementations, at the system output, the hydrogen in pipe 1814and the oxygen in pipe 1815 may be at high pressure and relatively lowtemperature. At that point, the hydrogen and oxygen if needed may bestored in tanks that will be used for storage and/or transportation.

FIGS. 19a and 19b illustrates a hydrogen and/or oxygen storage andtransport boat or barge. In some implementations, during the loadingprocess, the empty tanks may first be flooded with water resulting inthe partial sinking of the boat and tanks as shown in FIG. 19b . Whenthe high pressure gas is introduced into the tanks the pressurized waterthat is forced out of the tank may be used in an energy recovery effortto drive the pressurization pumps 1802, electrical generators thatprovide energy to the heating element 1810 or similar tasks.

In some implementations, the fuel barge (or boat) 1900 a or 1900 b maybe a catamaran with two hulls 1901, a deck 1902, equipment shack 1904,guard rail 1905, two hydrogen tanks 1906 and an oxygen tank 1907. Thetanks are secured to the deck with structure 1908. The barge can bedesigned so that the weight associated with a loading process where thetanks are flooded with and the water is then displaced by gas can beaccommodated without sinking the barge below a safe water line 1903shown in 1900 a. This will allow the tanks to be filled with water orother fluid prior to introducing the pressurized gas from the output1822 of an electrolysis system 1800. The pressurized fluid leaving thestorage tanks 1906 1907 can then be used to drive the compression pumps1802 or other energy recovery devices. If the tanks 1906 1907 are largethey can be submerged when filled with water as shown in 199 b where theassembly 1900 has been flipped. As depicted, the back compartment 1910half of the hull 1901 has been flooded along with tanks 1906 1907allowing the tanks and part of the hull 1901 to be submerged below thewater's surface 1909. A stabilizing float 1912 has been added and isconnected to the hull by spars 1913 and cable 1914.

Power for Electrolysyis

Power to operate the electrolysis equipment needed to separate hydrogenand oxygen may come from multiple sources. The environmental impact,quality of life for those in the area, the mobility of the system, andthe applicability of the source are all considerations. For theapplication described herein, one power source is an offshore windfarm.Placing a buoy or mooring in deep or littoral waters may cause newecosystems to develop much like a coral reef. The low level altitudewinds are normally stronger and more consistent at sea than on land.Generating and storing hydrogen and oxygen fuel offshore would help theimpact on residential areas would be minimized.

Referring to FIG. 20, a way is illustrated of providing the electricalpower at sea needed for an electrolysis process that would generate andaccumulate hydrogen gas that would be used in the fan jet engine system1400 or the hydrogen and oxygen needed for a de Laval Nozzle fan enginesystem 1600. In some implementations, the electrolysis system 1800 wouldbe mounted in the forward section of the hull 2001 forward of the hold2009. Those schooled in the art would know that there have been manysuch schemes suggested for generating power from ocean winds

The wind powered hydrogen generating station 2000 described here may bea boat or barge that is tethered to a mooring and uses common windpowered generators 2006 to generate electrical power. The hull 2001includes a hold 2009 where the generators 2006 are kept when the frame2007 is lowered. The energy source for the system is the wind whichturns the wind powered electrical generators 2006. As depicted, the 18wind power electrical generators 2006 shown here are mounted on frame2007 that can be in the raised position FIGS. 20a and 20b for normaloperation. The frame 2007 and associated generators 2006 can be loweredas shown in FIGS. 20c 20d and 20d when not in use. The generatingstation has wind vanes 2002 located near the stern of the generatingstation 2000 hull 2001 that will keep the bow of the equipment pointedinto the wind while tethered at a mooring. In some implementations, thewind vanes can also be lowered to the deck when not in use.

The hydrogen generating station 2000 may be also equipped with masts2003 used to support the raising and lowering of the frame 2007 andassociated generators 2006. The mast is self-standing but supported bystays 2005. Included are halyards 2008 that are controlled from the deckarea and can be lengthened or shortened to lower or raise the frame2007. The supports for the masts 2003 include spreader 2004 that holdthe masts 2003 apart.

Those schooled in the art will recognize that there are many ways tosupport the masts as well as raise and low the frames. Multiple staysand shrouds are commonly used to reduce the structural requirements onthe masts. In this configuration, the masts 2003 are mounted on the deckand can be lowered when not in use.

Wind turbine electricity generators are designed to operate efficientlywithin a range of wind speeds. Typical land based installations aremounted on tall masts to take advantage of the increase in velocity ofthe wind as the altitude above the earth increases.

At sea on a barge 2000 a tall mast can become a significant stabilityproblem when the winds increase. In one specific application consideredherein, the greatest demand for H2 and O₂ fuel for generating rain inthe San Joaquin Valley target area is during the summer months when theskies are blue (clear) and the winds are gentile. In the weeks when onlylight winds are forecasted, sails will be used on the barge or boat 2000to increase the velocity of the wind seen by the wind turbine electricalgenerators 2006 or 2118.

The sails 2101 in FIGS. 21a, 21b and 21c may be connected to the aftsection of the hull 2001, the masts 2003 and the top of a whisker pole2102. The whisker poles 2102 have one end mounted to the deck and a poleguy 2103 connected to the outside ends of the whisker poles 2102. Thereis a sheet 2104 or line 2104 attached to the outside lower corner of thesails 2101 that will be used to trim the shape of the sail 2101 alongwith changing the length of the whisker pole 2102 and adjusting the poleguy 2103. With the configuration of FIGS. 21a 21b and 21c an increase inwind velocity is likely resulting in greatly increasing the wind energyavailable to the wind turbine electrical generators 2006.

FIGS. 21d and 21e include an upper sail 2108 attached to the masts 2003and the outside ends of the whisker poles 2102. The upper section of thesail 2108 is a lighter than air inflated balloon. The balloon 2107section of sail 2108 is likely to be filled with hydrogen from theelectrolyzer 1800 in the hull 2001 of the barge or boat 2000. The top ofthe sail 2108 is tethered to the mooring float 2106 or buoy 2106 by guys2109. The advantage of this approach may be that the maximum crosssection area of the sail 2108, the guys 2109, the whisker poles 2102,and the mooring lines 2105 can be increased significantly and can makevery light wind days extremely productive.

FIGS. 21f and 21g illustrate a more conventional design where the sail2113 resembles a spinnaker on a sailing yacht. To accommodate this sail,a main mast 2110 a stay 2113, and a bow sprit 2112 have been added. Withthis design, the maximum usable size of the sail 2113 would be limitedby the height of mast 2110.

FIGS. 21h and 21i illustrate a front and side view of an alternative wayof mounting a wind turbine 2118. The wind turbine blades 2114 aremounted in a housing 2115. The housing is connected an air duct 2116that is connected to the sail 2117. The arrangement is designed tomaximize the efficiency of the wind turbine system. Wind turbines can bearranged in series with the wind turbine of FIGS. 21h and 21i mountedbehind the wind turbines of 21d and 21e.

FIGS. 22a 22b and 22c illustrate water turbine electric power generator2200 that may generate electrical power at sea or on a river for theelectrolysis process that breaks down water into its components ofoxygen and hydrogen. FIG. 22a illustrates the water turbine with housing2001, four concentric shaft 2004, four turbines 2205 mounted on theconcentric shafts with each consecutive turbine 2205 rotating in theopposite direction as the next. The four turbines 2205 are mounted onfour concentric shafts with each shaft connected to one of four separaterotors in the generator 2206. The water leaving one of the turbine 2206buckets is directed into the bucket of the next turbine downstream. Theflow of water may be concentrated with funnel 2202 increasing the flowthrough the turbines 2205. The electrical generator 2206 has outputcable 2203 providing electrical power to the barge or boat 2001

FIG. 22b illustrates a deep water configuration where the generator 2201and funnel 2202 are suspended below the surface of the ocean 2204. Thefunnel 2202 input end may be supported by a frame 2211 that may beconnected to a large mooring buoy 2208 with a tether 2212 and thegenerator housing 2201 is tethered to a smaller float 2209. A barge orboat 2001 with the electrolysis equipment aboard may be fed power viathe electrical cable 2203. The large mooring buoy 2208 is connected tothe seabed with mooring cable 2210.

FIG. 22c illustrates a configuration designed to sit on a river bottomor ocean floor. The funnel 2202 has two frame supports 2211 and ismounted on a skid 2213 which supports the funnel 2202 via the frames2211. As depicted, the electrical generator 2201 is supported by theskid 2213 and is connected electrically to the surface by cable 2203.

FIG. 22d is set up for areas where the direction of the water currentchanges directions as it does in a tidal zone. The generator 2201 andfunnel may be slightly buoyant and float upward when the water is notflowing. The generator and funnel 2202 are held in place by tethers 2215that are connected between the funnel 2202 support frame 2211 and amooring post 2214 anchored in the seabed or river bottom.

FIG. 23a illustrates a solar farm 2301 floating on the surface of theocean 2303 or other body of water and held in place by a mooring cable2302. A solar farm 2301 deployed on the open ocean is likely to beexposed to sever storms that may damage or destroy the solar farm.Finding a safe place for a solar farm that may cover several acers ofocean could be difficult and the time needed to secure a solar farm 2301in a traditional manner may not be available. FIG. 23b illustrates thesame area of the ocean under hurricane conditions. The wave seen at theocean's surface 2303 has peaks 2305, troughs 2307, wavelength 2304, andwave height 2306. The wave action causes water particle movement 2308below the ocean's surface with less movement as the depth increases.

Ocean storms with hurricane force winds may generate huge waves withwater particle 2308 movement deep into the ocean. This particle motion2308 is negligible one-half-wavelength 2311 below the wave trough 23062309. During a storm, the hull or hulls of the solar farm may be floodedcausing solar farm 2301 to sink below the significant water particlemotion 2310 for safe keeping during a storm. During hurricanes,wavelengths 2304 of eight hundred feet and wave heights 2306 of onehundred feet can be reached resulting in safe depth 2310 for thesubmerged solar farm 2301 four-hundred-fifty feet below the surface ofthe ocean 2303. The submergible solar farm 2301 can be designed tosurvive at shallower depth when a storm passes through. Once the stormhas passed, the submergible solar farm 2301 will be raised by inflatinga bladder or part of the hull with air or other gas, or lifting the farmwith cables or some combination thereof. Once on the surface, water maybe pumped out of the hulls of the solar farm 2301 allowing normaloperation.

In some implementations, this submersible storage technique can also beused for the fuel storage barges of FIGS. 19a and 19b when faced with astorm at sea or for long term storage.

FIG. 24 illustrates an exemplary block diagram of the cloud generatingprocess for a deployed system. One chain of events to generate cloudswould be to start with the system generated electrical power source 2401wind power 2409 with an offshore barge 2000 to power the electrolysisoperation 2402 to generate hydrogen (H₂) and Oxygen (O₂). The H₂ & O₂would be stored 2403 and moved in a transport boat 1900 to the cloudgenerating station 2404 to meet up with the cloud generator 200. Thecloud monitoring 2405 may be done by aerial sampling 2420 and usingfixed wing aircraft and drones to sample the clouds as well as raingages 2421 on the ground. The county that was being targeted for rainwould cloud seed 2406 with silver iodine. The results would be evaluated2407 and results reported 2408.

There are a number of options for System Electrical Power Source 2401.Wind Power 2409 is a likely source that would be readily available ifthe System Electric Power Source 2401 and the Water SeparationElectrolysis 2402 are being done offshore and away from populated areasand the equipment might look like that shown in FIGS. 21d and 21e . Itwould be recognized by those skilled in the art that there have beenmany wind power schemes suggested over the decades.

Hydro Power 2410 is another possibility for System Electric Power 2401.When considering hydro power for a system operating off the Californiacoast, the coastal currents that flow south from Alaska can be harnessedwith a device like that shown in FIG. 22b could be used. There are anumber of devices that have been built that harness strong tidalcurrents that flow in places like the Bay of Fundy or off the northerncoast of Scotland. In a river system, the river currents could beharnessed directly or through the introduction of a dam to concentratethe river current into a turbine generator. One of the products of waterelectrolysis 1700 is O₂ and if the engine for the rainmaker is a Fan Jet1300 rather than a de Laval Nozzle, the disposition of the excess O₂2413 would need to be determined 2414.

The fuel that is used to power the Cloud Generators 2404 does not haveto be system generated hydrogen. In the initial stages of the program,there will not be powered by large fan jet motors converted to run onhydrogen or de Laval Nozzles. The mechanisms driving the fans in theCloud Generators 2404 are likely to be internal combustion engines,electric motors, or gas turbines running on aviation fuel or bottledgas. The fuel for these fan engines will be supplied a fuel source 2415that is outside the system shown in the block diagram of FIG. 24.

A primary input into the decision making is the Wind & Weather Forecast2416 which has improved significantly in recent decades. Another primaryinput is the topology of the land between the target area and the pointchosen to initiate the Cloud Generation 2404. These inputs may be usedin a computer simulation 2417 to determine the optimum time, place, andduration of cloud generation. Raising the tube 105, 106 & 107 to theheights described herein may involve meeting the requirements of theFederal Aviation Administration (FAA) including obtaining prior FAAApproval 2418.

FIG. 11 describes a section of California where the Pacific Ocean 1101is adjacent to a significant section of the coastal mountains 1102. Thisis not the case in all parts of the California coast. The area with theleast significant impedance for the prevailing winds from the coastalmountains into the Central Valley may be the sea level California shipcanal which stretches from San Francisco Bay to Sacramento and StocktonCalifornia in the heart of California's Central Valley. The San JoaquinValley 1103 which is the southern part of the Central Valley has one offastest rising land masses between it and the Pacific 1101 where theSanta Lucia Mountains rise out of the Pacific in the area known as BigSur. Rather than trying to go over this area, it is likely that moreefficient cloud paths would be found by going over the Pacheco Gap tothe north of Big Sur and east of Monterey Bay or the Templeton Gap tothe south near Paso Robles.

In California, the rainy season is in the winter and the summers arewhen the water scarcity becomes apparent. Since 1900 approximately 40%of the years have been draught years in the central valley. Much of theavailable water in the summer comes from the snowpack in the SierraNevada Mountains. Pumping ground water in the San Joaquin Valley hasresulted in land subsidence of more than 30 feet in spots with the watertable dropping ten times that in several places. It is likely that thegreatest demand for water will come during the summer months inCalifornia.

The daily operating sequence will be modified based on land topology,weather conditions, prevailing winds, available equipment and desiredresults. FIG. 25 is a block diagram of the daily sequence of operation2500 for the system when operating in mid-summer in California, a periodwhen water demand is often at its greatest.

FIG. 26 illustrates a map with the counties in California in the areainvolved for this scenario. The electrolysis system 2505 generating H₂and O₂ will be running twenty four hours a day and seven days a weekmoored in the shallows near the Farallon Islands 2601 some 30 miles fromthe coast. Boats 1900, some towing barges 1900 may be moving back andforth 2504 hauling H₂ and O₂ to the cloud initiation sites 2602 in highpressure tanks.

Thermal winds in California tend to have a daily cycle. When the CentralValley and Mojave Desert beyond it heat up, the air rises and pulls inair from the coast. The predictions for the thermal winds will heavilyinfluence the daily schedule. The cloud generating equipment 100, 200,300 will leave the docks or anchorages early 2501 and head to pointwhich will be chosen based on the intended target area 2502 and windforecast. In this scenario, the ships 100, boats 200 and or fleets 300will be generating clouds between Point A 2604 offshore west-northwestof the city of Santa Cruz, and point B 2503 2605 offshore west of thecity of Monterey. The cloud generating equipment 100, 200, 300 will meetup with the fuel carriers 1900 near Point A 2506 2604.

The target area 2603 is located in California's fertile San JoaquinValley between the foothills of the Coastal Mountains 2606 and thefoothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains 2607. Without cloud seeding,most of the man-made clouds that make it into the Central Valley willtravel to the Sierra Nevada Mountains where they may form orographicprecipitation that will occur before the clouds make over the ridge lineof the High Sierras 2608. Cloud seeding would likely be required toinitiate rainfall over the fertile fields.

As depicted, at 5:00 am the fleet may start pushing tons of waterskyward generating clouds between Point A 2604 and Point B 2507 25082605. The position of the cloud generating equipment may be maintainedwith respect to the shore, in accordance with prior analysis anddeterminations. One consideration is the formation high concentrationsof droplets around salt particles that fall back into the sea. Asdeployed, the air tubes 105 may be maintained at a height between a fewhundred feet and a few thousand feet depending on wind conditions. Asdepicted here, the cloud generating process will be terminated about14:00 hours (see 2509) with the fleet heading in around that time (see2510).

The rain gage monitoring system will be operating continuously in thetarget area 2511 2603. The man-made clouds are predicted to reach thevalley by 9:00 and the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains by13:00. The inland cloud seeding operation will begin at 14:00 hours 2512and end at 18:00 hours 2513.

Lightening Protection

Electrostatic charges are likely to form in the clouds generated by thesystems described in this disclosure. Several mechanisms may be used tocontrol the charge and/or the resulting lightning discharges.

FIG. 27a shows two types of lightning control systems that are designedto protect the deployed tubes 105 by providing a grounding wire thatextends above the tubes forming a partial ground potential shield abovethe tubes. Guy wire 2701 may be a heavy ground cable, capable ofsurviving multiple lightning strikes and protecting the air tube 105from lightening damage by diverting the electrical charge away from thetube. The ground cable 2701 may be supported by blimp 108 throughinsulating guy wires 2702. The thickness and weight per foot of theground cable 2701 may need to be considerable, and may be difficult tomanage as the deployed height of the air tube 105 is increased.

FIGS. 27a and 27b show a lightweight high altitude ground system 2702,2703, 2704, & 2705 is also shown in FIGS. 27a and 24b . The groundingsystem ready to employ 2703 is supported with insulator support 2702. Adeployed ground 2704 with the pod that held the ground wire 2705 restingon the surface of the water 2303. It is not necessary for the groundwire 2705 to reach the earth to successfully protect the air tube. Asdepicted, item 2706 is the remains of a high altitude ground that wasdeployed and absorbed a lightning strike. Lightening is generated whenthe charge in the clouds generates enough voltage between the chargedcloud and another cloud or the ground to cause the air to ionize andbecome highly conductive.

FIG. 28 illustrates a way to neutralize the charge in the clouds byproviding ions or cations to the air tube 105. The aerosol is driven bythe fan in the fan box 103 into the air tube 105 and up to the cloudbeing generated above the air tube. High voltage emitter 2802 may beattached to a high voltage cable 2801. When deployed, the air passingemitter 2802 may be ionized to the opposite charge of the clouds and mayneutralize the charge in the cloud when the aerosol exits the air tube.

The lightning protection systems shown in FIGS. 27 and 28 can bedeployed away from the cloud generating systems to decrease theprobability of lightening initiating forest fires near the target areas2603.

Furling Systems for Air Tubes

FIGS. 29a, 29b, and 29c is a depiction of two different furling systemsfor the air tube. FIG. 29a is a furling system with drive rollers 202mounted in the engine housing 115 inside the air tube 105 and the arm111 outside the air tube 105. In some implementations, the air tube 105is held aloft with blimp 108. The system may be designed to pull the airtube 105 down with the retrieved air tube piling up to a small fractionof its initial height.

FIG. 29b and FIG. 29c illustrate a side and top view respectively of asecond furling system. Control cords 2901, 2902, 2903 and 2904 aremounted on reeling equipment 2907. The control cords are a group of foureach individual cords that are reeled in and out in unison. In someimplementations, each of the four individual cords pass through a seriesof horizontal pulleys 2905 and vertical pulleys 2806 and up the side ofthe air tube 105 passing through the cord control loops 2908 at a pointseparated from the other cords coming off the same real by approximatelyninety degrees. The four sets of control cords 2901, 2902, 2903 and 2904may be connected to the air tube 105 at heights 2909, 2910, 2911, and2912, respectively. The air tube 105 may be held aloft with the pressurein the tube, the blimp 108, thrusters 402 or 403, tube lifting harness900, or combinations of these and other mechanisms. The tube may bepulled down by reeling in the control cords bring the air tube 105 downin an orderly manner and resulting a stowed air tube that is a smallfraction of the deployed height of the air tube. The mechanismsillustrated in FIGS. 29a, 29b and 29c are also appropriate for use inthe sails 2101, 2102 and 2103 of FIG. 21b, 21d , or 21 f.

Referring to the block diagram of FIG. 30A, system 3000 may beconfigured to produce one or more man-made clouds, including but notlimited to nimbostratus clouds, and to deliver the one or more man-madeclouds into the troposphere at one or more altitudes targeted fordownwind precipitation from the one or more man-made clouds, includingbut not limited to rain. For example, system 3000 may produce a man-madecloud 3004 as depicted in FIG. 30A. System 3000 may be operable inconjunction with one or more airborne vessels (not depicted in FIG.30A). As used herein, the phrase “airborne vessel” references any deviceor system that can stay aloft in the air at the altitudes described inthis disclosure. By way of non-limiting example, airborne vessels mayinclude one or more of aircrafts, blimps, dirigibles, zeppelins,balloons, kites, and/or other devices capable of providing lift (whetherpowered or not) to air tube 3003 when coupled to air tube 3003. System3000 may include one or more of a water-delivery subsystem 3001, afanning subsystem 3002, air tube 3003, and/or other components.

In some implementations, water-delivery subsystem 3001 may be configuredto deliver water from a water source (not depicted in FIG. 30A) to oneor more components of system 3000. In some implementations, the watersource may be disposed and/or located at ground level (e.g., the surfaceof an ocean or lake or river). For example, in some implementations, thewater source may be an ocean, a river, a lake, and/or another body ofwater (whether man-made or natural). In some implementations, one ormore components of system 3000 may be carried by a watercraft (notdepicted in FIG. 30A). For example, see FIGS. 2-3 for the same orsimilar systems using various watercrafts (additionally, seedescriptions elsewhere in this disclosure for additional watercrafts).In some implementations, a watercraft may be used as water-deliverysubsystem 3001. For example, while navigating water and moving, awatercraft may be configured to take in water while moving, and deliverthe water to, e.g., fanning subsystem 3002, via the use of one or moreof tubes, pipes, conduits, hoses, manifolds, pumps, filters, and/orother connectors (none depicted in FIG. 30A). In some implementations,alignment and/or positioning of air tube 3003 may be supported by one ormore guy-wires that are coupled to a stationary object such as, e.g., aground anchor, or an oil rig (as depicted, e.g., in FIGS. 12A-12B). Insome implementations, an alignment between first end 3003 a and secondend 3003 b of air tube 3003 may range between a 45 degree angle and a 90degree angle with respect to the ground level. In some implementations,this alignment may range between a 60 degree angle and a 90 degree anglewith respect to the ground level. In some implementations, thisalignment may range between a 75 degree angle and a 90 degree angle withrespect to the ground level. As used herein, the phrase “substantiallyvertical” may be used to refer to angles within 20 degrees of perfectlyvertical (as measured and/or determined between the opposite ends of anair tube and considering only the orientation with respect to fore andaft of the respective boat, and ignoring side-to-side and/or lateralmovement with respect to the respective boat, and barring periods ofextreme weather). Moreover, it is understood that extreme weather and/ormovement of the respective boats may temporarily disrupt the preferredalignment (of substantially vertical). In some implementations,alignment of air tube 3003 may be supported by one or more guy-wiresthat are coupled to a stationary object such as, e.g., a ground anchor,or an oil rig (as depicted, e.g., in FIGS. 12A-12B).

As depicted in FIG. 30A, in some implementations, fanning subsystem 3002may include an intake 3002 a, an output 3002 b, and/or other components.In some implementations, intake 3002 a may take in, e.g., water fromwater-delivery subsystem 3001. Alternatively, and/or simultaneously, insome implementations, intake 3002 a may take in air. Alternatively,and/or simultaneously, in some implementations, intake 3002 a may takein aerosol. Alternatively, and/or simultaneously, in someimplementations, intake 3002 a may take in oxygen and hydrogen, whichmay be ignited within fanning subsystem 3002 to produce aerosol.

In some implementations, output 3002 b may output, e.g., air and/oraerosol for transportation into air tube 3003. In some implementations,air tube 3003 may include a first end 3003 a and a second end 3003 b,disposed at opposite ends. For example, first end 3003 a may be disposedat or near fanning subsystem 3002. For example, second end 3003 b may bedisposed into the troposphere (e.g., at an altitude targeted fordownwind delivery of precipitation from man-made cloud 3004). By way ofnon-limiting example, the altitude may range between a few hundred feetand a few thousand feet. In some implementations, the altitude may be atleast 400 feet. In some implementations, the altitude may be about 1000feet. In some implementations, the altitude may be between 400 and 1000feet. In some implementations, the altitude may be between 1000 andabout 3000 feet. Other altitudes and/or ranges of altitudes areenvisioned within the scope of this disclosure. For example, otheraltitudes may be determined as suitable to reach a particular targetedgeographical area for the delivery of precipitation from man-made cloud3004, from a particular location of deploying air tube 3003.

In some implementations, air tube 3003 may be coupled to one or moreairborne vessels while flying (not depicted in FIG. 30A). See, forexample, FIG. 3. In some implementations, air tube 3003 may beimplemented using one or more components described elsewhere in thisdisclosure, including but not limited to (flexible) tubes (see, by wayof non-limiting example, tubes 105, 106, 107 in FIG. 1, as well as otherFIGs), rigid air tubes, air tubes that are flexible in part and rigid inpart (see, by way of non-limiting example, air tube 1205 in FIGS.12A-12B), air tubes with an arbor core and/or including PFTE and carbonfiber (see, by way of non-limiting example, FIGS. 10A-10Q), and/orcombinations of these different types of air tubes or different types ofmaterials used to construct an air tube. In some implementations, airtube 3003 may be at least 400 feet long. In some implementations, airtube 3003 may be about 1000 feet long. In some implementations, air tube3003 may be between 400 and 1000 feet long. In some implementations, airtube 3003 may be between 1000 and about 3000 feet long. In someimplementations, air tube 3003 may have a particular length sufficientto maintain second end 3003 b of air tube 3003 at an altitude rangingbetween a few hundred feet and a few thousand feet. In someimplementations, air tube 3003 may have a particular length sufficientto maintain second end 3003 b of air tube 3003 at an altitude sufficientto reach wind speeds of at least 35 knots. In some implementations, airtube 3003 may have a particular length sufficient to maintain second end3003 b of air tube 3003 at an altitude sufficient such that man-madecloud 3004 can cross a particular coastal mountain range in California.

Referring to FIG. 30A, in some implementations, air tube 3003 mayinclude multiple exhaust vents 3003 c, configured to exhaust a portionof the aerosol within air tube 3003. In some implementations, individualones of exhaust vents 3003 c may be the same as or similar to theexhaust vents described in relation to FIGS. 4A-4B.

In some implementations, air tube 3003 may include one or more fins (notdepicted in FIGS. 30A-30B-31) disposed between first end 3003 a andsecond end 3003 b of air tube 3003. Individual ones of the one or morefins may be configured to counteract rotation of air tube 3003 such thatthe individual ones of the one or more fins are aimed in a leewarddirection by the force applied by the wind to air tube 3003. In someimplementations, individual ones of the fins may be the same as orsimilar to the fins described in relation to FIGS. 4A-4B.

In some implementations, air tube 3003 may include one or morepressure-control components (not depicted in FIGS. 30A-30B-31). Thepressure-control components may be disposed between first end 3003 a andsecond end 3003 b of air tube 3003. Individual ones of the one or morepressure-control components may be configured to control pressure withinair tube 3003 at or near the individual ones of the one or morepressure-control components. In some implementations, individual ones ofthe pressure-control components may be the same as or similar to thenets described in relation to FIGS. 7A-7F and/or the sleeves describedin relation to FIGS. 8A-8B.

In some implementations, air tube 3003 may include one or morelift-providing components (not depicted in FIGS. 30A-30B-31). Thelift-providing components may be disposed between first end 3003 a andsecond end 3003 b of air tube 3003. Individual ones of the one or morelift-providing components may be configured to provide lift to air tube3003. In some implementations, individual ones of the lift-providingcomponents may be the same as or similar to the tube-lifting harness,lift bags, and/or kites/canapes described in relation to FIGS. 9A-9C. Insome implementations, downward-angled exhaust vents and/or thrusters mayprovide lift and be considered lift-providing components (see, by way ofnon-limiting example, the thrusters as described in relation to FIGS.4A-4B).

In some implementations, fanning subsystem 3002 may be implemented usingone or more components described elsewhere in this disclosure, includingbut not limited to fan boxes (see, by way of non-limiting example, fanboxes 102, 103, 104 in FIG. 1), fan jet engines (see, by way ofnon-limiting example, fan jet engine 1300 in FIG. 13 and FIG. 14), deLaval Nozzle Fan Jet Engines (see, by way of non-limiting example, deLaval Nozzle 1500 in FIG. 15 and de Laval Nozzle Fan Engine 1600 inFIGS. 16A-16C), and/or other components described herein as capable ofaccelerating air and/or aerosol, or capable of producing aerosol (e.g.super-heated steam as described elsewhere in this disclosure) that isexhausted into air tube 3003, or both. For example, in someimplementations, fanning subsystem 3002 may be configured to push and/orpropel at least 1 ton of water per second. In some implementations,fanning subsystem 3002 may be configured to push and/or propel about 1.5ton of air per second. In some implementations, fanning subsystem 3002may be configured to push and/or propel at least 1.5 ton of aerosol persecond.

In some implementations, one or more variations of system 3000 mayinclude additional components. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 30Band FIG. 31, a system 3000 b or a system 3000 c may include the same orsimilar components as system 3000 in FIG. 30A. Additionally, system 3000b may include one or more of a heating subsystem 3005, one or morelightning control systems 3006, a control system 3007, and/or othercomponents. Additionally, system 3000 c may include one or more of afuel-delivery subsystem 3008, and/or other components. In somevariations, components from system 3000 b and 3000 c (and/or othercomponents described in this disclosure) may be combined.

Referring to FIG. 30B, in some implementations, heating subsystem 3005may be configured to increase the temperature of either the water (e.g.,as delivered by water-delivery subsystem 3001), air (e.g., as taken inby intake 3002 a), and/or aerosol (e.g., as output by output 3002 b, orwithin air tube 3003). In some implementations, heating subsystem 3005may be configured to couple between water-delivery subsystem 3001 andsecond end 3003 b of air tube 3003. In some implementations, heatingsubsystem 3005 may include one or more heating units (not depicted inFIG. 30B) disposed between first end 3003 a and second end 3003 b of airtube 3003. For example, individual ones of the one or more heating unitsmay be configured to increase the temperature of the aerosol within airtube 3003, e.g., at or near the individual ones of the one or moreheating units. In some implementations, heating subsystem 3005 may beimplemented using one or more components described elsewhere in thisdisclosure, including but not limited to gas heating units (see, by wayof non-limiting example, gas heating unit 500 in FIGS. 5A-5B). In someimplementations, heating subsystem 3005 may be implemented using one ormore components described elsewhere in this disclosure that provideheat, including but not limited to de Laval Nozzle 1500 as depicted inFIG. 15, fan jet engine 1300 as depicted in FIG. 13, and/or othercomponents that provide heat.

One or more lightning control systems 3006 may include one or more of aground cable, a ground wire, a high voltage emitter, and/or othercomponents. In some implementations, one or more lightning controlsystems 3006 may be implemented using one or more components describedelsewhere in this disclosure, including but not limited to a guy wire(see, by way of non-limiting example, guy wire 2701 in FIGS. 27A-27B), alight weight high altitude ground system(see, by way of non-limitingexample, items 2702-2703-2704-2705-2706 in FIGS. 27A and 27B), a highvoltage emitter (see, by way of non-limiting example, high voltageemitter 2802 in FIG. 28), and/or other components configured to provideprotection from lightning strikes.

Control system 3007 may be configured to control the operation of system3000 (and/or its variations such as system 3000 b and/or system 3000 c).Control system 3007 may be configured to select a target area for thedelivery of the precipitation from man-made cloud 3004. In someimplementations, control system 3007 may be configured to obtain a windand weather forecast for a particular geographical area. For example,the particular geographical area may include at least a portion of thewater source and the selected target area. In some implementations, thewind and weather forecast may include expected wind velocities atvarious altitudes and locations. In some implementations, control system3007 may be configured to determine a suitable time, a suitablelocation, and a suitable altitude for production of man-made cloud 3004by system 3000 (or another system described in this disclosure). Thedeterminations by control system 3007 may be based on one or more of theselected target area, the wind and weather forecast, the expected windvelocities, the topology of the geographical area, and/or otherinformation. In some implementations, system 3000 (or another systemdescribed in this disclosure) may be configured to deploy air tube 3003at a time, a location, and an altitude in accordance with thedeterminations by control system 3007. In some implementations, air tube3003 and fanning subsystem 3002 may be carried by a watercraftconfigured to navigate at the determined suitable location. In someimplementations, a fleet of multiple watercraft may carry a set ofmultiple systems such that aerosol exiting multiple air tubes (the sameas or similar to air tube 3003) may be used (e.g., at the same time) toproduce multiple man-made clouds. In some implementations, controlsystem 3007 may be implemented using one or more components and featuresdescribed elsewhere in this disclosure, including but not limited to awind & weather forecast (see, by way of non-limiting example, wind &weather forecast 2416 in FIG. 24), a computer simulation (see, by way ofnon-limiting example, computer simulation 2417 in FIG. 24), and/or otherdescriptions related to at least FIG. 24.

Fuel-delivery subsystem 3008 may be configured to deliver oxygen andhydrogen to fanning subsystem 3002. For example, in someimplementations, fanning subsystem may include one or more de Lavalnozzles 3009 that are configured to ignite oxygen and hydrogen (providedby fuel-delivery subsystem 3008) and produce aerosol (in particular,super-heated steam) within the one or more de Laval nozzles 3009. One ormore de Laval nozzles 3009 may be configured to drive de Laval turbine3010 of fanning subsystem 3002. The output of de Laval turbine 3010 maybe transported, via output 3002 b, to air tube 3003. In someimplementations, at least a portion of the delivered water may becombined with the produced aerosol prior to entry into air tube 3003(e.g., by using one or more components to spray water, such as, by wayof non-limiting example, water spray manifold 1610 as depicted in FIG.16c ). This may increase the amount of water within air tube 3003, andthis may decrease the temperature of the aerosol at first end 3003 a. Insome implementations, fuel-delivery subsystem 3008 may be implementedusing one or more components described elsewhere in this disclosure,including but not limited to tanks (see, by way of non-limiting example,storage tanks 1906 and 1907 in FIGS. 19A-19B), and/or other componentsdescribed in this disclosure. In some implementations, one or more deLaval nozzles 3009 may be implemented using one or more componentsdescribed elsewhere in this disclosure, including but not limited to deLaval Nozzle 1500 as depicted in FIG. 15. In some implementations, deLaval turbine 3010 may be implemented using one or more componentsdescribed elsewhere in this disclosure, including but not limited to deLaval Nozzle Fan Engine 1600 as depicted in FIGS. 16A-16C.

In some implementations, system 3000 (and/or its variations such assystem 3000 b and/or system 3000 c) may include additional components(not depicted in FIGS. 30A-30B-31), including but not limited to apolymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) electrolysis system, a set of windpower electrical generators, and/or other components and featuresdescribed elsewhere in this disclosure. The polymer electrolyte membrane(PEM) electrolysis system may be configured to produce oxygen andhydrogen, e.g., as described in relation to FIGS. 17-18. In someimplementations, the set of wind power electrical generators may beconfigured to generate electrical power, powered by wind, e.g., asdescribed in relation to FIGS. 21-22. The set of wind power electricalgenerators may be carried by a boat. In some implementations, the boatmay include a main mast, one or more stays, a bow sprit, and a spinnakercoupled to the main mast, the one or more stays, and the bow sprit, suchthat an additional amount of electrical power is generated by the set ofwind power electrical generators by virtue of the wind applying force tothe spinnaker, e.g., as described in relation FIGS. 21A-21C. In someimplementations, the electrical power generated by the set of wind powerelectrical generators may be used to power the polymer electrolytemembrane (PEM) electrolysis system such that the produced oxygen and theproduced hydrogen may be provided to fuel-delivery subsystem 3008.

FIG. 32 illustrates a method 3200 for producing a man-made cloud anddeliver the man-made cloud into the troposphere at an altitude targetedfor downwind delivery of precipitation from the man-made cloud, inaccordance with one or more implementations. The operations of method3200 presented below are intended to be illustrative. In someimplementations, method 3200 may be accomplished with one or moreadditional operations not described, and/or without one or more of theoperations discussed. Additionally, the order in which the operations ofmethod 3200 are illustrated in FIG. 32 and described below is notintended to be limiting.

At an operation 3202, water is delivered from a water source to afanning subsystem. The water source may be disposed at or near groundlevel (e.g., the surface of an ocean). In some embodiments, operation3202 is performed by a water-delivery subsystem the same as or similarto water-delivery subsystem 3001 (shown in FIG. 30A and describedherein).

At an operation 3204, by an intake of the fanning subsystem, oxygen,hydrogen, air, the delivered water, and/or the aerosol produced from thedelivered water is taken in. The delivered water is or has been combinedwith the air to produce aerosol. In some embodiments, operation 3204 isperformed by an intake the same as or similar to intake 3002 a (shown inFIG. 30A and described herein).

At an operation 3206, by an output of the fanning subsystem, the aerosolproduced from either the oxygen and the hydrogen or from the deliveredwater, and/or the air is output. The air is or has been combined withthe delivered water to produce the aerosol. In some embodiments,operation 3206 is performed by an output the same as or similar tooutput 3002 b (shown in FIG. 30A and described herein).

At an operation 3208, the aerosol is transported from the fanningsubsystem into an air tube, the air tube having a first end and a secondend. The first end is arranged at or near the fanning subsystem. Thesecond end is disposed into the troposphere by coupling the second endto the airborne vessel while the airborne vessel is flying in thetroposphere. The air tube is at least 400 feet long from the first endto the second end. In some embodiments, operation 3208 is performed by afanning subsystem the same as or similar to fanning subsystem 3002(shown in FIG. 30A and described herein).

At an operation 3210, the aerosol is transported by the air tube fromthe first end through the air tube to the second end. In someembodiments, operation 3210 is performed by an air tube the same as orsimilar to air tube 3003 (shown in FIG. 30A and described herein).

At an operation 3212, a portion of the aerosol is exhausted from the airtube into atmosphere, by multiple exhaust vents disposed between thefirst end and the second end of the air tube. In some embodiments,operation 3212 is performed by one or more exhaust vents the same as orsimilar to exhaust vents 3003 c (shown in FIG. 30A and describedherein).

At an operation 3214, the man-made cloud is produced, by the aerosolexiting the air tube at the second end of the air tube, at the altitudetargeted for the downwind delivery of the precipitation from theman-made cloud. In some embodiments, operation 3214 is performed by anair tube the same as or similar to air tube 3003 (shown in FIG. 30A anddescribed herein).

Although the present technology has been described in detail for thepurpose of illustration based on what is currently considered to be themost practical and preferred implementations, it is to be understoodthat such detail is solely for that purpose and that the technology isnot limited to the disclosed implementations, but, on the contrary, isintended to cover modifications and equivalent arrangements that arewithin the spirit and scope of the appended claims. For example, it isto be understood that the present technology contemplates that, to theextent possible, one or more features of any implementation can becombined with one or more features of any other implementation.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system configured to produce a man-made cloudand deliver the man-made cloud into the troposphere, the system beingoperable in conjunction with an airborne vessel, the system comprising:a fanning subsystem including an intake and an output, wherein theintake is configured to take in one or more of: (i) air, (ii) water,wherein the water is or has been combined with the air to produceaerosol, and/or (iii) the aerosol produced from the water, wherein theoutput is configured to output one or more of: (i) the aerosol producedfrom the water, and/or (ii) the air, wherein the air is or has beencombined with the water to produce the aerosol, and wherein the fanningsubsystem is further configured to transport the aerosol from thefanning subsystem into an air tube; the air tube having a first end anda second end, wherein the first end is arranged at or near the fanningsubsystem, wherein the air tube is configured to transport the aerosolfrom the first end through the air tube to the second end, wherein thesecond end is disposed into the troposphere by coupling the second endto the airborne vessel while the airborne vessel is flying, wherein theaerosol, upon exiting the air tube at the second end, produces theman-made cloud such that precipitation from the man-made cloud isdelivered downwind.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the system furthercomprises: a water-delivery subsystem configured to deliver the waterfrom a water source to the fanning subsystem, wherein the water sourceis disposed at or near ground level.
 3. The system of claim 1, whereinthe air tube is at least 400 feet long from the first end to the secondend.
 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the air tube includes multipleexhaust vents disposed between the first end and the second end, whereinindividual ones of the multiple exhaust vents are configured to exhausta portion of the aerosol from the air tube into atmosphere.
 5. Thesystem of claim 4, wherein the exhausted portion increases as pressurewithin the air tube at the individual ones of the multiple exhaust ventsincreases and such that the exhausted portion decreases as the pressurewithin the air tube at the individual ones of the multiple exhaust ventsdecreases.
 6. The system of claim 1, wherein one or more components ofthe system are carried by a watercraft, wherein the watercraft isconfigured to navigate in water.
 7. The system of claim 4, wherein windexternal to the air tube is applying force to the air tube, wherein atleast some of the multiple exhaust vents are configured to providethrust to push the air tube into the wind, wherein the air tube includesone or more fins disposed between the first end and the second end ofthe air tube, wherein individual ones of the one or more fins areconfigured to counteract rotation of the air tube such that theindividual ones of the one or more fins are aimed in a leeward directionby the force applied by the wind to the air tube.
 8. The system of claim1, wherein an alignment of the air tube is forced towards beingsubstantially vertical at least in part by one or more guy-wires thatare configured to couple the air tube to some object at ground level orto a ground anchor.
 9. The system of claim 1, wherein the air tubeincludes one or more pressure-control components disposed between thefirst end and the second end of the air tube, wherein individual ones ofthe one or more pressure-control components are configured to controlpressure within the air tube at or near the individual ones of the oneor more pressure-control components.
 10. The system of claim 1, whereinthe fanning subsystem includes one or both of a gas turbine and/or a fanconfigured to transport the aerosol into the air tube.
 11. A method toproduce a man-made cloud and deliver the man-made cloud into thetroposphere, the method comprising: taking in, by an intake of a fanningsubsystem, one or more of: (i) air, (ii) water, wherein the water is orhas been combined with the air to produce aerosol, and/or (iii) theaerosol produced from the water; outputting, by an output of the fanningsubsystem, one or more of: (i) the aerosol produced from the water, (ii)the air, wherein the air is or has been combined with the water toproduce the aerosol; transporting the aerosol from the fanning subsysteminto an air tube, the air tube having a first end and a second end,wherein the first end is arranged at or near the fanning subsystem,wherein the second end is disposed into the troposphere by coupling thesecond end to an airborne vessel while the airborne vessel is flying;transporting, by the air tube, the aerosol from the first end throughthe air tube to the second end; and producing the man-made cloud, by theaerosol exiting the air tube at the second end of the air tube, suchthat precipitation from the man-made cloud is delivered downwind. 12.The method of claim 11, further comprising: delivering the water from awater source to the fanning subsystem.
 13. The method of claim 12,wherein the water source is disposed at or near ground level.
 14. Themethod of claim 11, wherein the air tube is at least 400 feet long fromthe first end to the second end.
 15. The method of claim 11, wherein theair tube includes multiple exhaust vents disposed between the first endand the second end, wherein individual ones of the multiple exhaustvents exhaust a portion of the aerosol from the air tube intoatmosphere.
 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the exhausted portionincreases as pressure within the air tube at the individual ones of themultiple exhaust vents increases and such that the exhausted portiondecreases as the pressure within the air tube at the individual ones ofthe multiple exhaust vents decreases.
 17. The method of claim 15,wherein at least some of the multiple exhaust vents provide thrust topush the air tube into the wind.
 18. The method of claim 11, furthercomprising: selecting a target area for the delivery of theprecipitation from the man-made cloud; obtaining a wind and weatherforecast for a geographical area that includes at least a portion of awater source and the target area, wherein the wind and weather forecastincludes expected wind velocities at various altitudes and locations;determining a suitable time, a suitable location, and a suitablealtitude for production of the man-made cloud, wherein thedeterminations are based on the selected target area, the wind andweather forecast, the expected wind velocities, and topology of thegeographical area; and deploying, by a watercraft, the air tube at atime, a location, and an altitude in accordance with the determinations,and wherein the air tube and the fanning subsystem are carried by thewatercraft.
 19. The method of claim 18, further comprising: deployingeither a ground cable or a ground wire, the ground cable being suspendedbetween the airborne vessel and the ground level, the ground wire beingcoupled to a high altitude insulator support at a higher altitude thanthe second end of the air tube, to protect the air tube from lightningstrikes and/or to protect the man-made cloud from dischargingelectricity.
 20. A system configured to produce a man-made cloud anddeliver the man-made cloud into the troposphere, the system beingoperable in conjunction with an airborne vessel, the system comprising:a fanning subsystem including an intake and an output, wherein theintake is configured to take in: (i) oxygen and hydrogen, wherein theoxygen and hydrogen are ignited to produce aerosol, wherein the outputis configured to output: (i) the aerosol produced from the oxygen andthe hydrogen water, and wherein the fanning subsystem is furtherconfigured to transport the aerosol from the fanning subsystem into anair tube; the air tube having a first end and a second end, wherein thefirst end is arranged at or near the fanning subsystem, wherein the airtube is configured to transport the aerosol from the first end throughthe air tube to the second end, wherein the second end is disposed intothe troposphere by coupling the second end to the airborne vessel whilethe airborne vessel is flying, wherein the aerosol, upon exiting the airtube at the second end, produces the man-made cloud such thatprecipitation from the man-made cloud is delivered downwind.